PROFESSOR WILLIAM DIXON WEST,

C.I.E., Sc..D., F.N.A., F.G.S.

Prof. William Dixon West.

William Dixon West (1901-1994) was born on 27 January 1901 at at Bournemout, spent three years of his early life in North Bornew, where his father built the first railway. Only a little bit information is available about his early education. He educated at King's School, Canterbury, and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he obtained a first class in both parts of the Natural Sciences Tripos, winning the Winchester Prize in 1922 and the Harkness Scholarship (Jointly with E. R. Gee). In Cambridge, he came under the influence of a famous petrologist Prof. Alfred Harker, whose famous book on Metamorphism which attracted them toward the field of Geology. 

AT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA

Soon after the graduation in 1923, he joined the Geological Survey of India. At GSI, their first assignment was the mapping of Sausar belt in Central Province in Central India (Now Madhya Pradesh). In the course of early work he proposed the existence of "nappe" structure in the Central Province region which was named as Deolapar Nappe because of the presence in the vicinity of Deolopar where different facies of Sausar sediments originally deposited far apart were brought together in Juxtaposition. Soon he became the Director of Geological Survey of India from from 1946 to 1951. he held the office office at the time of Independence of India and during their directorship, Centenary of Geological Survey of India was celebrated and he played host to many distinguished geologist from overseas who visited India on that occasion; he created a saparete wing for Geophysical Investigation, Exploratory mining and drilling and also for petroleum exploration and rare earth minerals. The later wing given rise to some separate organisation e.g. Oil and Natural Gas Commision (ONGC) and Atomic Mineral Division of the Department of Atomic energy. He modified the working by adding some new section for mineral development, Engineering geology and Groundwater. He took his voluntary retirement from GSI giving place to Dr. M.S. Krishnan who became the first Indian director of Geological survey of India.

Dr. West with Dr. D.N. Wadia

He remained bachelor for their lifetime and missed 'the enduring elegance of female friendship'. Nevertheless the credit of recruitment of ladies into the survey in both the scientific and administrative section goes to him.

He was invited to join the University of Saugar (Now Dr. Harisingh Gour Univerisity, Sagar) as Professor and Head of the Department of Geology in 1955. At that time the university was housed in old army barracks. He remained here till the end of his life. 

INTEREST IN GEOLOGY

He was interested in geological education throughout his career. As a member of Geological Survey of India, he took classes at Presidency College, Calcutta and also visited the geology department of various universities in different part of the India to experience the facility available the students for training of geologist recruited to the survey and submitted a report.

Professor Dudley Stamp, the famous geographer has the following tribute to pay to the Dr. West:-

'Dr. West epitomizes in his own person the tradition between survey and Education and in the length and breadth of his work and interest has notably maintained and standard set by a string of illustrious predecessors. When he might reasonably have retired from strenuous field work to a life of ease, he chose rather to help the students of India to further the knowledge of their country and resources and to devote to them his organising ability and the fruit of their accumulated experience. His work has been followed with interest and admiration the world over.'

Dr. W.D. West at Saugor University.

The each and every point of the above statement are true and not in the least is exaggerated. The Central Province Manganese Ore Company (CPMO) has made a bequest of Rs. 5 Lakhs for starting of a Department of Geology at Saugor, and he was invited to undertake the responsibility. Dr. West not only accepted this challenge but also chose to make it as his home. It was a great challenge because in the fifties it was a remote and backward region of India. Then with the help of a donation from Central Provinces Manganese Ore Co., Prof. West has a new building constructed at the new University site, and the Department of Applied Geology occupied it from 1957. The Department has risen to considerable eminence and is rated as one of the best University Department teaching Geology. In 1963, it was selected as a U.G.C. Center of Advance Study in Geology. The contribution made by Dr. West for the Department of Applied Geology and Saugor University will be remembered with gratitude.

LOVE TO INDIA

His deep love to India and Indian geologist was expressed at the time of receiving of lyell medal he said:-

'You Sir, have referred in generous terms to the little I have done to encourage geological science in India. But, I doubt if you realize how I have been, firstly to have the privilege of working in India with the wonderful ranges of geological problems and, secondly, to have had the companionship of so many Indian geologists.'

his writings are models of clear exposition aimed at advancing our knowledge of the subject. In the early days, he attempted a number of reviewed articles which was published in Current Science entitled 'Some recent advancement in Indian Geology'.

WORK

Prof. West's main work in India has been in Madhya Pradesh and in Simla Himalaya. In both areas he demonstrated, for the first time, the existence of nappe structures; and the Deolapar nappe in the Archaean rocks of M.P., and the shali window and the Simla Klippe in the Himalaya, have become well known in Indian Geology. Among other activities he investigated the Quetta earthquake of 1935 and the condition under which most damage was done. He also made a study of some deep boring put down through the Deccan Trap in Saurastra, a study which he resumed 30 years later on reaching Sagar, which is situated on these volcanic rocks.

During second world was Prof. West took a party of surveyors and drillers to Northern Afghanistan to explore for coal in the Jurassic Saighan Series north of the Hindu Kush. In appreciation of this work the Afghan Government bestowed on him the Star of Afghanistan.

During his long service in India , Prof. West has been president of several societies, including the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the Mining, Geological and Metallurgical Institute of India, the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Society of India and the Indian Association of Geohydrologists. He is a foundation Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy.

Prof. West has played a considerable part in the promotion of Science in India, and in geological education. He was one of the General Secretaries of the Indian Science Congress from 1932 to 1938, and with Prof. J.N. Mukherjee organized the silver Jubilee of the congress in 1938, a meeting that was attended by a delegation of distinguished scientist from the British Association. He presided over the Geology Section in 1937, and delivered the presidential address on “Earthquakes in India”

He was awarded the Lyell medal of the Geological Society of London, and the P.N. Bose Memorial medal by the Asiatic Society. The C.I.E. Was conferred on him by the Government of India in 1947. 

In his 86^th year, he said there was little remaining for him to accomplish except to light the way for the younger generation to become a good geologists. This he did sincerely and to the best of his ability. He will always be remembered for their devotion toward the geology and his classic contribution to Indian geology and the role he was played in geological education in India.

He apparently remained good in health till the last. He took ill and was shifted to Bhopal where he passed away in the early hours of 23^rd may 1994.